Iraq says 20 terrorists escaped from prison in Syria

BAGHDAD

Iraq’s top security official said Thursday that 20 “dangerous terrorists” had escaped from a prison in Syria’s northeastern city of Al-Hasakah last month.

National Security Adviser Qassem al-Araji made the remarks during his meeting with the European Union Ambassador to Iraq, Ville Varjola, according to a statement by his office.

Al-Araji called on the EU to urge its members to withdraw their nationals from al-Hol camp, which houses the families of Daesh/ISIS members in eastern Syria.

"The presence of this large number of terrorists in the prisons of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with weak capabilities, constitutes a constant and permanent threat if the international community fails to fulfill its duties,” he said.

In January, an unknown number of Daesh/ISIS members escaped from the Ghwayran detention camp in Al-Hasakah, which is run by the US-backed SDF forces, a rebranded version of the YPG/PKK terror group.

Recently, Iraq has tightened security along its more than 600 kilometers border with Syria.

The Iraqi-Syrian border has been a security concern for Baghdad for many years, as Daesh/ISIS and PKK terrorists frequently infiltrate it.

* Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar in Ankara.